Join Us for the LeadingAge Kansas Day at the Legislature on February 8th in Topeka
Come join us and make your voice heard on long term care funding and workforce issues! Register Today
Legislative Session Finally Gets Going
After a slow start, more and more bills have been introduced, and legislative committees are beginning to schedule more hearings. This week LeadingAge Kansas and KHCA gave two more joint presentations on the State of Long Term Care, this time to the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee and KanCare Oversight Committee. Next week we have a whole line up of bill hearings on senior care related legislation. Keep reading for details!
Questions, comments or concerns? Please contact me! Rachel@leadingagekansas.org
New Bills on Familiar Issues
Next week will see hearings on a couple of issues we have worked on over the last three years.
Involuntary Discharge Appeals in Assisted Living HB 2246 will be heard in the House Judiciary Committee next Thursday (2/9) at 3:30pm. We continue to oppose legislation that requires our assisted livings and similar settings to care for residents that have grown beyond the scope of care the facility is able or willing to provide. It is irresponsible and dangerous on many levels, and we strongly oppose the passage of HB 2246.
Banning Visitation Restrictions for Residents of Adult Care Homes HB 2264 will be heard in House Health and Human Services next Tuesday (2/7) at 1:30 pm. While largely agreeing with the goals and substance of these bills in the past, we were forced to oppose their passage because they do not allow adult care homes to follow CMS rules and regulations. We will have to oppose this bill once again until amendments are made to allow providers the freedom to act in pursuant with federal rules to avoid fines and preserve their Medicare and Medicaid funding.
Reducing CNA Training Hours to the 75 Hour Federal Minimum HB 2049 will be heard in House Health and Human Services next Wednesday (2/8) at 1:30pm. While we do not relish the idea of asking for less training for nurse aides, we applaud the legislator behind this bill for pursuing a common sense reduction in the regulatory barriers to entering our workforce. CMS continues to support 75 hours as a safe and adequate number of training hours for certified nurse aides, and we support the philosophy that the state of Kansas should not increase certification and licensing requirements beyond what is absolutely required.
Bills Introduced
SB 6 Restricting the authority of the secretary of health and environment and local health officers to prevent the introduction and spread of infectious or contagious diseases
SB 62 Enacting the protect vulnerable adults from financial exploitation act
SB 112 Amending the scope of practice for registered nurse anesthetists to allow independent practice
HB 2023 Creating the crime of interference with the conduct of a hospital
HB 2049 Changing the length of the nurse aide course required for unlicensed employees in adult care homes to 75 hours
HB 2246 Involuntary discharge appeals in assisted living; allowing residents to stay in facility while appeal is pending
HB 2264 Enacting the patient right to visitation act to require patient care facilities to adopt visitation rules to allow certain relatives and other persons, including clergy, to visit terminally ill patients and other patients making major medical decisions
Coming Up Next Week
February 7: HB 2264 No Patient Left Behind Act hearing in House Health and Human Services
February 8: LeadingAge Kansas Day at the Legislature! “State of Long Term Care” presentation to the Senate Ways and Means Committee; HB 2049 CNA training hearing in House Health and Human Services
February 9: HB 2246 Involuntary discharge appeals in assisted living hearing in House Judiciary Committee
